Close and personal with the man behind the Boks

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

- Brendan Gallagher

What’s happening here?

It’s December 10, 1969 and South African Rugby supremo Dr Danie Craven has been enjoying a rare bit of light-hearted banter with the Boks down in the depths of the changing rooms at the Talbot Athletic Ground, Aberavon. The Boks have just beaten an Aberavon/Neath combo 27-0 and for once the mood is upbeat. Skipper Dawie de Villiers sips a cup of tea – or perhaps there was something stronger in the cup – and outwardly all is well with the world.

What is the story behind the picture?

Despite the smiles these were very testing times for the Boks, on and off the field, as their government persisted with its loathsome apartheid policies and South Africa’s sporting teams refused to countenance ever considering a black player. In 1968 the Lions, despite much opposition, had toured South Africa but that winter the MCC eventually declined to travel after the D’Oliveira affair in which the South African government refused to sanction an MCC squad including a Cape Coloured native – Basil D’Oliveira – who had moved to Worcester to make his life here.